President takes part in the third session of the National Council of Public Trust
In his speech, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that the National Council of Public Trust approached today's meeting with tangible results. The Law "On the order of organization and holding of peaceful assemblies" has been signed, which introduces the notification principle of holding meetings.
- The new law fully ensures the constitutional right of citizens to peaceful assemblies. Other draft laws included in the first package of political reforms are also being developed. I also signed amendments to the laws on elections and political parties. We have established the institution of parliamentary opposition. The registration requirements for political parties have been simplified. The parties running in the elections will allocate a 30 percent quota for women and youth. There is broad support among citizens for the complete decriminalization of defamation and the humanization of Article 174 of the Criminal Code," the President of Kazakhstan noted.
Speaking about the agenda of the meeting, the Head of State reminded the main measure of success of any state is human capital. The new conditions require a fundamental reform of the education system and science.
The economy also depends on its development. The President called the education sector underfunding, resulting in a significant gap in the quality of education and school infrastructure from developed countries.
– A Kazakhstan school needs well-equipped and small classes by the number of pupils. According to the State Program of Education, by 2025 it is planned to build 800 new schools for more than 650,000 pupils, 114 boarding schools for rural support schools, and more than 700 gyms - said the President.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev focused the attention of the Council members on the tasks of reducing the gap between urban and rural schools, ensuring the safety of children, and solving the problems of violence and suicide among students. The system of management and financing of education also needs to be improved.
- According to my decision, from 2021 the management and financing of district education departments are transferred to the level of the region. The Government will have to develop a new clear and transparent system for appointing principals of kindergartens, schools, and colleges. The establishment of the institute of rotation and certification of principals should also improve management efficiency," the Head of State believes.
The President called for a comprehensive increase in the efficiency of teaching the state language. The European experience of language integration should be used in this regard.
- They place their bets on young people in educational institutions when teaching the language. Therefore, I believe that the Language Committee should be transferred to the Ministry of Education and Science from 2021.
– In general, we are systematically increasing funding for science, and by 2025 will bring it to 1% of GDP. Program-targeted funding should be allocated exclusively based on national scientific and technical tasks. It is necessary to direct efforts and resources to such areas as medical and biological research, agricultural science, "green" technologies, artificial intelligence, energy efficiency," the President noted.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pointed out that the coronavirus pandemic, which has become a powerful stress test for health systems around the world, has highlighted the chronic shortage of professional doctors in Kazakhstan. This is due to low wages, lack of prestige in the profession, and the vulnerability of medical professionals.
– Among specialists in various fields, doctors receive the lowest salary. I assign the Government to gradually raise the wages of medical workers starting from this year and bring them to two and a half times the average wage in the economy by 2023," the Head of State said.
– Since 2010, we have focused on optimizing some areas of health care and on extensive efficiency. As a result, about 1,000 infectious beds have been reduced. Taking into account the biological threats, the Government needs to consider the issue of acceptable redundancy of the health care system in certain areas and maintain its readiness for critical situations," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
During the meeting, the Head of State also instructed to take strict control of measures to create an effective model of rural healthcare, strengthen and institutionalize the sanitary-epidemiological service, and pay attention to the supply of medicines and medical products to the country.
– Today I have announced initiatives aimed at reforming key social spheres. Much of these initiatives have been formulated based on recommendations of the members of the National Council. Effective implementation of these measures should have a significant impact on improving the quality of human capital," the President concluded his speech.